Workers find plaque at Wright Elementary

School district workers Brady Black, left, Randy Bowman and Pat Sherrett dig up what they thought was a time capsule, only to find a brass plaque on a cement block commemorating the planting of a tree in honor of America’s bicentennial.

On Monday, workers dug up what they thought would be a time capsule at the condemned A. E. Wright Elementary School. However, it really was a copper plaque that was placed at the school near a spruce tree planted April 27, 1976, in honor of the country’s bicentennial.

The district had heard that a time capsule had been placed at the school. Workers dug up an area near the flagpole and later dug near the spruce tree after Brady Black, a summer employee, had found the plaque with a metal detector last Friday.

Earlier last week Electric City public works director Ken Dexter tried his luck with a couple of metal detectors, with no luck.

Ted Piccolo, a school board member, said he remembers that there was some kind of ceremony where something was placed in the ground while he attended Wright Elementary.

The plaque read: “April 27, 1976 - This tree planted in commemoration of the 200th birthday of the United States of America - Grand Coulee Dam School District”

Workers Randy Bowman and Pat Sherrett worked the area around the tree and Black used his metal detector but couldn’t find any additional objects. The plaque about 10 inches by 12 inches was fastened to a solid cement block.

The two spruce trees had a massive root system which hampered the crew while they dug for a time capsule.